


A Night to Remember

by MBlair



Category: Agent Carter (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Little bit of angst, Song fic, a series of ficlets leading to a wedding, engagement fic, mentions of past relationships - Freeform, the one where Peggy Carter becomes the future Mrs. Sousa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:42:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24828505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MBlair/pseuds/MBlair
Summary: Dinner, dancing, and a very important question. Will Peggy say yes?
Relationships: Peggy Carter / Fred Wells (mentioned), Peggy Carter/ Steve Rogers (mentioned), Peggy Carter/Daniel Sousa
Comments: 29
Kudos: 35
Collections: Fandom Giftbox 2019





	1. Part One: I Love You... Will you be mine?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [vintagelavenderskies](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vintagelavenderskies/gifts).



> This fic has been a labor of love over the past few days and I hope that everyone out there enjoys this just as much as I do. This is also my first Marvel fic, as well as for Peggysous, so please be kind! It’s probably OOC as hell, but it’s meant to be romantic more than realistic. 
> 
> The song “playing” in the last part of the fic is actually an authentic song from the mid-1940s called “(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons” which was most famously recorded by Nat King Cole in the 1960s, though as far as my research as said, it probably wouldn’t have been unusual that it would be played or performed at the time this fic is set. If you've seen the 1998 version of The Parent Trap, you've heard another cover of this song before, you just never realized. 
> 
> This fic is also a fill for the 2020 Fandom Giftbox, so it is dedicated to the lovely Peggy_Carter46. I hope you like it!

The sun had begun to set over the Los Angeles skyline when Peggy put down the phone on her desk for the final time that day, leaning back in her chair for a moment before looking toward the small office tucked into the corner. There she could see Daniel, still hard at work as he always was, either studying case files or paperwork with the same meticulous focus that he had for all other things or on the phone with Washington or Jack back in the New York office. 

Soon she could see him finally hanging up the phone through the window, leaning back in much the same way she did. Laughing quietly to herself, Peggy stood and walked toward the office, knocking once before opening the door a bit. 

“Got a minute, Chief,” she asked, giving Daniel a wink and a smile before letting herself in and closing the door. She came close enough to settle herself on the edge of the desk, staying there for only a moment before Daniel pulled her down onto his lap, not caring what agents that were left saw. 

“I think I can find time for you,” he replied before leaning up to give her a kiss, the two of them lingering for far too long before Peggy finally pulled away. 

“It’s getting late. I thought I would go back to my flat and change before tonight, though you still haven’t told me where we’re going.” 

Daniel shook his head at the look Peggy gave him, almost imploring him to spill the secret he had been meticulously planning. On a lesser man, it may have worked, but after years of knowing and loving Peggy Carter, he didn’t consider himself a lesser man anymore. The fact that she somehow loved _him_ too was proof positive of that. “No, no, you’re not going to get any secrets out of me. I’ll pick you up at half-past six.”

Peggy’s face shifted from a teasing smile to a more genuine one. As much as she wished they had the time for her to tease and needle him until he gave up and told her what their plans for the evening were, she had to get back on a flight to New York in two days’ time. Their time left was woefully short, every moment counted. “I’ll be waiting for you,” she replied with a sigh, moving to her feet and leaning down for one more kiss before leaving to get ready for the most important evening of her life. 

* * * 

When the doorbell rang less than an hour later, Peggy shook herself from the reverie she had fallen into. It was far too easy to do that now that she had made Los Angeles her home, the quiet different from New York or even London had been. As many differences as there were, there was one, one man, that was more frequently on her mind than anything in her past. She turned, checking her lipstick in the mirror near the door once more before opening the door, greeting Daniel with a smile that spoke of much more than happiness, but disbelief that he was real. That he stayed, unwavering and constant in a world and a life that seemed to always be changing. 

“Evening,” Daniel said once Peggy was in view, leaning in to kiss her cheek gently. The ring he had brought was burning a hole in his jacket pocket, making him want to drop down on one knee, far slower than any other man, and ask her to be his wife then and there. It took everything in him, every bit of patience and resolve, to hold off and make this the night she deserved. “You look beautiful. Shall we?” 

“We shall,” she teased, taking the arm he offered her and closing the door to her flat behind them. 

* * * 

The restaurant Daniel had found for the evening was as quiet and peaceful as one could find in Los Angeles, a tiny bistro right off the beach surrounded by sand and the moon rising on the horizon. Though the air had begun to cool with the setting sun, the light shawl wrapped around Peggy’s shoulders was more than enough to keep her warm, nothing like a March evening in New York would have been. 

Daniel pulled the chair out and kissed Peggy’s cheek as she sat, moving around the table before taking his own seat, the sand sliding beneath his feet. Once they were both seated, wine poured and dinner ordered, Daniel reached for Peggy’s hand and kissed it gently, making her smile. 

After a few moments of silence, Peggy turned to look back at Daniel again, feeling his gaze linger. He opened his mouth to say something, seeming to grasp for words before falling silent. 

“There is something I’ve wanted to say to you for some time, but I haven’t known how. It hasn’t been the right time, the right place, but I think...it may be now,” he finally said, chuckling nervously. 

Another moment of silence. A deep breath. 

“I know you don’t need me, Peggy, not really,” Daniel began, hearing Peggy start to disagree. He shook his head, reaching out to take her hand, squeezing it gently. ”No, it’s true. If you ever truly needed anyone, I doubt it would be someone like me. Just thinking of who you had before we even met, the kind of man he was.” He paused at that, shaking his head. As much as Peggy had loved him, helped him realize his value as much as hers, he knew that he would never be her choice, the man she loved first, as long as she was the one she wanted forever. “...I’m grateful every single day that you _want_ me. That I’m somehow good enough to be yours.”

Another pause. Daniel hesitated as he tried to find the words for what he wanted to ask her. The speech, safely written and hidden away in his jacket pocket lay untouched, not at all good enough for the most important moment of his life. 

“There was so much more I wanted to say to you, but here and now, it all isn’t enough. No words could ever be enough to say how much I love you and how every day has been brighter because you were here. So, all there is left to do is...this.” 

Pulling the ring out of his pocket, he dropped down onto one knee, the smooth leather brushing harder into his skin as the wood beneath his pant leg sat securely on the sandy floor. 

“Margaret Elizabeth Carter, my Peggy… Will you marry me?” 

Peggy was silent, watching Daniel for a few long moments. He knelt on the ground before her, ring in hand, looking into her eyes with all the love in the world within. It felt surreal, like a dream, but it was real. A real, living man was asking her to marry him. There was only one answer. 

“Yes.”

* * * 

_I love you for sentimental reasons_

_I hope you do believe me_

_I'll give you my heart_

  
  


The evening progressed quickly once he secured the ring on Peggy’s finger, the gold and diamonds shining in the lights hanging overhead. Dinner and wine soon progressed to dessert and dancing. They swayed together as the music played in the background, Daniel using his cane merely as a support as they danced, Peggy holding onto him close. 

“I love you,” she whispered as they moved together, the starlight beginning to shine bright in her hair. They swayed together, as Daniel hummed into her hair, the rest of their lives stretching before them. 

  
  


_I love you and you alone were meant for me_

_Please give your loving heart to me_

_And say we'll never part_

_I think of you every morning_

_Dream of you every night_

_Darling, I'm never lonely_

_Whenever you are in sight_

_I love you for sentimental reasons_

_I hope you do believe me_

_I've given you my heart_


	2. To Love and Lose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few months after saying yes, Peggy thinks back to her past and the promise of her future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two is here! I am so thrilled and humbled by the response chapter one has received by old and new friends alike. Let’s hope that the sequel can be as good as the original. There are going to be a few mentions of past romances for Peggy, but there is no character or ship bashing here. Please keep it out of the comments as well. 
> 
> Bonus points if you can catch some little tidbits from one of my favorite Peggysous fics, lovingly borrowed of course… Five points and a cookie if you can guess the easter eggs and the story it comes from! Leave guesses in the comments! <3
> 
> Also, all leg/foot/knee-related puns are entirely unintentional.

_ A few months later…  _

_ Mr. and Mrs. Harrison Carter, of Hampstead, England, have announced the engagement of their daughter, Margaret Elizabeth Carter to Daniel António Sousa, son of Mr. and Mrs. Francisco Sousa, of Taunton, Massachusetts. Miss Carter is an Agent of the Strategic Scientific Reserve and graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge, and St. Martin-In-The-Fields High School for Girls. Mr. Sousa is a graduate of the Officer Candidate School of the United States Army and is also Chief of the Los Angeles bureau of the Strategic Scientific Reserve. The wedding will take place in the fall.  _

  
  
  


“You look lovely,” the bridal attendant said as she took a step back, leaving Peggy alone in the mirror’s reflection. “Absolutely lovely.”

Peggy looked at her reflection, the woman staring back at her looking familiar, yet like a stranger. It wasn’t the first time she had done this, searching for the perfect wedding gown to wear for the happiest day of her life, the distance and years making that time feel like centuries ago instead of less than five. 

_ “Margaret,” her mother’s voice called from down on the landing, “Peggy, darling, your dress is here.”  _

_ Peggy turned away from the mirror, looking toward the door. It was days now before she was set to marry Fred, and the nervous feeling in her stomach still sat like a pit, eating away at her. It wasn’t that she didn’t love him, of course she did...or did she?  _

_ “He’s not the right man for you, Peg,” she could hear Michael’s voice say in her head. “You deserve adventure, to do something good with your life. Being just a wife and a mother? That’s not the girl I grew up with, the woman you are now. You’re made for more than this.”  _

_ “Fred is a good man, Michael. He loves me and I love him.”  _

_ “Do you?” _

_ Shaking the nagging thought out of her head, she left to descend the stairs, finding her mother holding the dress bag carefully over her arms.  _

_ “There you are. I was beginning to think you had lost yourself,” Amanda teased gently, seeing that Peggy was very much lost in her head. She frowned a bit in concern. “Are you alright?”  _

_ Looking up, she nodded and put on a smile for her mother, thanking the shop girl who was nice enough to have delivered the dress to them. “Yes, Mother. I’m fine. Shall we try the dress on?”  _

_ Soon Peggy found herself standing in front of her bedroom mirror, her mother making the final adjustments before pinning the headpiece on top of her head, surrounded by curls, her veil falling her back nearly to the floor.  _

_ “Lovely. Beautiful,” Peggy could hear her mother say from behind her, but her focus shifted to the car pulling up outside the house. She turned to look out, seeing a man in uniform step out and walk to the door. Soon, the doorbell rang, sending Amanda downstairs to answer it and the world crumbling around them.  _

“Miss? Ma’am… Are you alright?” 

A voice brought Peggy back to the present, a soft hand on her shoulder. When Peggy finally came back to herself, she put on her best disarming smile and looked abashed, almost as if she were embarrassed. The woman nodded immediately in understanding, or what she  _ thought _ she understood. 

“Thinking about your fiance,” she asked, to which Peggy gave a girlish giggle, sounding fake and far too childish for her liking. 

“Perhaps,” Peggy replied, pretending to blush and look embarrassed. The shop assistant gave her a smile in reply and pat her hand again. 

“We’re all done here. I’ll let you get home to your beau.” 

* * * 

Stepping out of the bridal shop, Peggy found herself on the streets of New York again. It had been months since she had last ventured out into this city, full of its sights and wonders, and she found at that moment that she had  _ missed _ it. Los Angeles had its many highlights, not to mention Daniel, but she doubted that any city of Earth could ever replace the Big Apple in her heart. 

She walked down the familiar streets, watching the people as they passed her by. It seemed as though she never left, the buildings reaching like monoliths of American might and ingenuity to the sky. She was reminded of her first day back from the war, stepping off a ship in New York Harbor after seeing Lady Liberty stand guard, protecting her people from war and destruction, bringing victory to the waves and the shore. 

It wasn’t long though before she found herself lost in thought and memory again, traveling back further to the past and inevitably back to home and...Fred. Though she didn’t regret not marrying him and leaving to serve in the SOE and inevitably the SSR, she occasionally wondered, hoped for his safety and happiness. Michael was right, she didn’t love him, not as a wife should love her husband. Not in the way she loved Daniel. 

No, she knew that Fred hadn’t been the right man, she knew that when she agreed to marry him. He was lovely, polite, and proper, the man her father would have chosen for her if he had been alive… 

The thought of her father brought her mind back to the present, shaking her resolve and everything that kept her emotions in check. It would be far too easy to fall down and never get back up again, feel everything she had spent years holding back collapse on top of her all at once. 

_ Papa, Michael, Fred… _

_ Steve.  _

Would Daniel be next? 

  
  


* * * 

Locking the door of the flat, Peggy hung her coat at the door silently before walking toward the liquor cabinet, pouring herself a bourbon and taking a sip. The taste made her sigh, a sense memory that helped her relax far more than anything else in her solitude would have. She thought of where Daniel was, of what he was doing. Was he knee-deep in the investigation he had stayed behind to lead, surrounded by case files and half-finished cups of coffee? Was he at meetings or dinners with one of the myriads of military and government officers he had had to meet and keep tabs with since moving to Los Angeles? She didn’t know, only that he was there and she was in New York, surrounded by friends but still alone. 

All of her wonderings didn’t last long, however, the answer came when the phone rang. Putting aside her empty glass on the sitting room table, she reclined in the easy chair and picked up the receiver. 

“Good evening,” the operator said, “Long-distance call from Los Angeles, California.”

A voice came through just as the operator finished speaking. “Good evening, sweetheart.” 

Peggy felt herself smile, the melancholy already starting to drain away. That voice, Daniel’s voice, the only one who could make everything feel brighter with just a word. “Yes, thank you,” she said to the operator, hearing all of them disconnect from the call. “Evening yourself. Or should I say, ‘Good afternoon’.”

They fell into pleasant conversation, talking about everything and nothing at all. As she settled down for the evening, phone in hand, and watching the sun set over the horizon, Peggy knew one thing. She wasn’t letting Daniel go without a fight. 


End file.
